TRIUMPHANT Swansea City footballers face a police and FA rap after displaying anti-Cardiff obscenities at the Millennium Stadium yesterday.

Police confirmed they were looking into incidents involving Swans star Lee Trundle, which took place on the pitch after the team's 2-1 Football League Trophy triumph over Carlisle.

Around 30,000 Swansea fans made the trip up the M4 to Cardiff for the big game and police said the match passed off without incident.

But the antics of a handful of Swansea players during the after-match celebrations are set to spark huge controversy.

Goalscorer Trundle and defender Alan Tate were each photographed during those celebrations carrying a Welsh flag bearing an anti-Cardiff remark. The words on the flag were so offensive, the Western Mail has decided not to print photographs of them.

Trundle also pulled on a T-shirt over his white No 10 jersey, depicting a cartoon of a Swansea player urinating on a blue Cardiff City shirt. The incidents could not have come at a worse time, with fans from Cardiff and Swansea working behind the scenes to try to ensure a better rapport between the two sets of supporters at Wales' international matches.

The antics of Trundle and Tate could blow any new detente out of the water.

The authorities are likely to take a dim view of Trundle's involvement.

He and Tate could have claimed the Welsh flag was given to them by a Swans fan and they didn't immediately realise what the words on it said.

But Trundle's decision to put on his anti-Cardiff T-shirt - particularly at the Millennium Stadium - is likely to land him in trouble.

Chief Superintendent Bob Evans, of South Wales Police, said last night, "I am aware of the incident and I certainly take a very dim view of what has happened.

"It was logged in our match report and has been reported to the Football League.

"An investigation has been launched and further inquiries will be made over the next few days."

The offensive anti-Cardiff flag is in the hands of Millennium Stadium chief Paul Sergeant. He will hand it over to police today.

South Wales Police deployed a "significant" number of officers in the capital for the game.